Don't Jump
by Butterfly Kitty
Summary: "Kimmy, please, don't jump. So many people like you – hell I'm in love with you! And if you jump, I'm not far behind."


I woke up to the sound of screaming.

I groaned, not wanting to know what was happening downstairs yet wanting to know the damage. I knew I would have to pay for whatever broke, be it a vase to a bone, but I knew Daddy couldn't be too harsh on sweet little Holly Crawford. Right?

Wrong. Daddy has no limits, not even for eight-year-old Holly.

I groaned again, pulling myself up, but wincing at the pain in my ribs. Forgot about that. I stood in front of the mirror, lifting my shirt so I could assess the damage. A long cut on a slim body covered in bruises, courtesy of Daddy.

Sighing, I go downstairs, waiting for hell.

"Where have you been you ugly bitch?" Daddy growled, dropping Holly and pointing a knife at me as soon as he saw me.

"Sleeping. Or trying to anyway," I shot back. Daddy tossed the knife. It landed sticking out of the wall next to me.

"Go die in a ditch, you fucking whore," he snarls, lumbering into the living room. I pull Holly in the bathroom, locking it.

"What did he do to you?" I asked. Holly looked up at me, blinking her chocolate brown eyes.

"He told me to rot in hell, then he slapped me," she said. "What's a fucking whore?"

"Sweetie, don't say those words," I answered. "Where were you hit?" Holly pointed to her face. I could already see a five star forming. "Now, what do you say when people ask?"

"Kim accidentally hit me practicing at the dojo," she recited.

"Good. Go meet Olivia at the bus stop. I've gotta go get dressed," I said, brushing some of Holly's cinnamon brown hair out of her face.

"But it's five in the morning," Holly argued.

"It's a safe town. Go wander," I said, searching the cabinets. I finally found a ten dollar bill that I stashed there yesterday. "Go buy yourself breakfast at the Seven Eleven down the street."

"Thanks," Holly smiled, opening the door. I watched her slip outside, stuffing the money in her pocket. When I couldn't see her anymore, I shut off the light and went upstairs, quickly showering and changing into a tank top and leggings, using a jean jacket to cover my arms and the leggings to cover my legs. When I walked back downstairs Daddy immediately saw me. I flinched as he lunged towards me, pinning me to the wall.

"You little bitch," he hissed, his alcoholic breath clogging up my nose. "If I could have gone back in time and sacrificed you instead of Jenny, I would have."

"Mom has nothing to do with this," I spat.

"You killed her," Daddy sneered. "You ugly little slut, you killed her in that fire, remember? She died saving your fucking ass. And you don't deserve love, heck, you don't even deserve life. Jenny would've been so upset with what you turned out to be."

The words hurt. They pierced a hole in my chest. Tears filled up my eyes, and when he saw them, he cackled. I looked away as he punched me in the face.

"Worthless slut," he growled, hitting me again. I fell to the ground, trying to shield myself from his wrath. "Fucking bitch."

Tears started rolling down my cheeks. Why did he have to make me feel so horrible? It wasn't fair. The only reason I still clung to life was Holly. She kept me alive. She needed me. And I needed her to keep me sane.

Honestly, Daddy's not normally so brutal. When he was finished with me, I crawled back upstairs, shaking. I sat down on my bed, grabbing my phone. Slowly, I dialed Jack's number. I needed time off from school and home.

"Hello?" I heard Jack's voice on the other end. I shivered at the sound of his voice, butterflies settling in my stomach.

"Hi," I spoke. "I'm probably not gonna be in school today, just saying."

"Why? Is something wrong?" Definitely over-protective.

"Uh… I…" I needed to think of something quickly. "My Aunt Charlotte's coming in from… Charlotte! And uh, we're gonna spend the day together cuz she hasn't seen me in forever."

"But you said last week that she's coming over."

"Uh… that was the Aunt Charlotte from my mom's side! Yea, and this one's my unofficial Aunt Charlotte. She's really my… uh… grandma's… cousin's… daughter, and um, I haven't seen her in forever," I lied.

"Tell me the truth Kimmy." I had to tell him SOMETHING that wasn't a lie!

"Listen, I seriously can't tell you. Can you just respect that?" I asked softly.

"Okay… I'll respect that. Will you be okay?" I studied myself for a few seconds.

"Yea, I'll be fine," I said.

"You sure?"

"Yea."

"Okay."

"Fine."

"Bye Kim."

"Bye Jack."

I shut off my phone, tossing it next to me. I lay down, resting my head on my pillow. I just wanted everything to end. I wanted to be normal.

I realized that the longer I stayed here, the closer I was to my dad. I grabbed my phone, stuffed it in the pocket of my jean jacket, and opened the window. I looked down, nausea rolling in. I shook my head, jumping out the window so I didn't have to go downstairs and sneak past my dad. I landed, hearing a crack and feeling severe pain in my wrist. I sucked in a breath, gritted my teeth, and got up.

I walked down the street, seeing a large crowd surrounding a car. There was an ambulance… I peered closer, not expecting what I saw.

There had been a car crash – a car had hit a little girl. Holly. The car had hit Holly. I froze, and some people in the crowd turned around to look at me. They murmured things like "hey, isn't that this girl's sister?" and "she looks like she's seen a ghost." Time seemed to stop as I slowly stumbled backwards. I couldn't think. I couldn't speak. My sister had just been killed and I wasn't over there holding her, willing her a safe trip to heaven. I realized that I had nothing to live for anymore. I had so many bullies at Seaford High, my dad was abusive, and my sister was just killed. By now the whole crowd was staring at me. I stepped backward again, breathing heavily. So many eyes were on me… all of a sudden I bolted, with no specific destination in mind. I vaguely remembered running down the street, passing Jack's house and ending up running to school. I entered the vacant building (it was open but no students were there yet, save for a few of the nerds), climbing up the stairs until I got to the stairway that would lead to the roof. I went up them, wincing as the cold wind and drizzling rain kissed my cheeks. Tears sprung in my eyes, leaked, and fell into the puddles. I walked over to the edge of the roof, looking down at the hard cement below. _Quick and painful, the way it should be,_ I reminded myself, sighing as I went closer to the edge.

"Kim!"

I spun around, seeing Jack standing behind me. I wiped my eyes, letting more tears run.

"What?" I sobbed.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked. I stared him right in the eye.

"I can't live anymore Jack, I just can't stand it. Everyone hates me. The other kids bully me and my dad's a complete ass! My sister just died and I just can't do this anymore." I turned around and stepped closer to the ledge, preparing to jump when all of a sudden there was a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Kimmy, please, don't jump. So many people like you – hell I'm in love with you! And if you jump, I'm not far behind." Jack looked at me straight in the eye. I looked away, sitting down with my legs dangling over the edge now. Jack sat next to me. I started sobbing, and Jack started rubbing my back.

"Jack, I'm so torn. I want to die but after what you said… ugh Jack," I cried, folding myself into him.

"Please don't jump Kim," Jack said, his voice cracking. I looked at him. Was he crying? I couldn't tell because of the rain but it looked like he was.

"Okay," I said softly. "I won't jump. I don't have to."


End file.
